Introduced a vaccine or serum into the body to protect against disease, or figuratively, exposed someone to small amounts of something to build resistance.
From Latin 'inoculare' (to engraft, plant into), from 'in-' (into) and 'oculare' (to graft from 'oculus,' eye). The medical meaning emerged in the 18th century with early vaccination practices.
The word 'vaccination' comes from 'vacca' (Latin for cow) because Edward Jenner first used cowpox material to inoculate people against smallpox—it actually worked, and cows saved millions of lives.
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